Monday, April 13, 2009

Actually I had started these squares before I started to learn sewing. Crocheting was the only thing I could do when it comes to yard and hook or needle things, and I was only able to do the standard stitches.

I really love to see my sister's work, and so I told her that I also wanted to learn how to read pattern, so I could make those cute things she made with crochet. She told me to start with granny squares, so we ended spending hours talking between Singapore - Chiang Mai using Skype so she could teach me how to follow a pattern :)

After one and two grannies, I went to the stores to buy three colours yard for my granny blanket. At first I wanted to make a baby blanket for my friend's baby, but looking at the time I need to finish one granny, I guess the blanket will be ready when the baby is already 5 years old :P

So I decided to make for myself, though I never know either when I would finish this one. I make a basic granny squares, and green and yellow surely are not my favourite colours *they were choosen by the baby's father :P but I guess I can live with that.

These grannies are done on my way to office or back home from office - like my other embroidery things and everything I can do on train and at the bus stop. I guess people now are starting to accept this weird knitting/sewing girl to sit beside them on train :P

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Well, there must be some start for everything rite, and please excuse me if I'm too ambitious when I start but too lazy to continue :P

But no no no, I do hope I can finish this quilt, it will be fun to have a quilted blanket I did myself. (and hopefully it will be two, three, four, five, and many more :D)

It seems that when you get into the world of fabrics, needle and yarn, you will somehow feel the interest to try other things. I started with crochet, and after reading books about embroidery for sooo long, I started my embroidery. Then since I had to make something out that embroidery, I started to use my Singer Girl which I've bought back several months before. Then I felt the thought to try quilting, and I ended buying quilting tools that cost me one month of my lunch :P

So this is my trying to do quilt, using the new rotary cutter and cutting board, I must say that the tools make it so much easier to square the fabrics and cut them. I've tried using scissors and pencil to mark the fabric, and I was soo frustated :P

I had the thought to make a baby blanket out of this (why I keep wanting to make baby blanket? I guess because it's small enough but big enough to make a real project hehe). Mmh, but I don't know, it's really hard to spend the time to do this quilt at home, most of my works are done on train. I guess if it needs too much time I would just do some cushions cover with this quilt.

Hmmh, this is the problem of not writing the post immediately after I finished the project. Now I can't recall what's the order of the project I've finished. But I guess it doesn't matter much :P

I like to spend time in the library. Uhm, yes it sounds boring, but it isn't, trust me *wink :D The library holds so many things that I can spend hours there. Hmmh, actually it can't be last more than 3 hours for me, since they don't allow any food and drink and hey, what's will be more fun than reading some good stuff and eat some potato chips? :P

Anyway, I really really like - no, love, being in the library and find good books to read. Most of the times you can find me in Food/Recipes Section, and/or Art and Craft Section. I sometimes borrow and read some good numbers of novels too. I must admit I don't have much interest in Architectural Topics (poor me, oh ya, in case u forget, I supposed to be architect here and not some kind of chef or housewife *giggle) but sometimes I did set my eyes on the alley (only looking, but never really browsing :D).

There's a community library near my office here in Bukit Merah area, so sometimes I skipped my lunch and went to library instead. So that's how I met a lot of wonderful authors who wrote great books about sewing, embroidery, crochet, or whatever.

I was browsing in BM library when I bumped into this Sashiko book. It looked a bit dull for the first time, and I was quite disheartened to see the word "machine embroidery". I haven't got the equipment and my sewing skill is still several bars below normal (is Normal the right word? :P). But when I started to see what's inside the book i got hooked by the simplicity yet beauty of this Sashiko technique.

It is originally from Japan, and from what I've learnt from other bloggers and articles from the net, it should (at least it is for me, who just did a fast reading and forgive me if I'm wrong in interpreting) running stitches with even spaces. And some of the blog fellow also mentioned that actually we can buy the sashiko-ready-kit, it will be ready with pattern printed on the fabrics, so you can start the sashiko easily. It's also said that sashiko's thread is different from the common embroidery thread. You can find all the information here and here.

Well, for me, I don't want to set too high budget for my hobbies. I have a lot of scraps from my neighbor, and most of them are plain clothes. I also have some embroidery threads I've bought without knowing what are they for :p

The interesting part is Sashiko(for my understanding)uses a lot of geometry, and since I was trained as an architect and I'm very good in using AutoCAD program, so I manage to make my own Sashiko pattern (not creating, ok, only re-drawing) in CAD and print them in whatever scale I want :D

Then, I transfer the pattern onto the fabrics using tracing paper. It would help a lot if I have some iron-able printing paper (whatever the real name is, pardon me), but I guess I'm quite happy with this current method.

Now I've already finish 4 coasters (of 6 coasters in one set), I would love to finish all the set and maybe (just maybeeee) I will make a set of table mats or table napkins to match the coasters :D.

I did all the sashiko embroidery mostly in trains, or buses, or bus stops, or at lunch time. I lined them with medium-thick-interfacing and combined with flowery fabrics for the bottom part.

Huh hah, I must say that writing this can be very exhausting. So anyway, please excuse my poor English and enjoy the pics :D

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I found this book in the library and I fell in love with it right away. Yes, my embroidery skill is very limited, but I found one design that is so easy to do.I wanted to keep my embroidery projects in small scales – I would have to sew them to be something, and I still don’t have much confidence to do big sewing like bags or whatever.

We (I meant most of the people, and me all the time :P) in Singapore travel everywhere by MRT or by bus. I thought that making some card case is a small enough project but can be pretty at the same time :)

I found difficulties in doing the lining (excuse me, I’m a very beginner in sewing – haha, excuses :P) and putting the button, but they’re just parts of learning processes aren’t them? :)

This Card case was given to my colleague, Puspita aka Puspi aka Brusbi:)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I started crocheting when I was in Elementary School. I think I was 10 years old at that time. I learned form a very nice old lady who lived two doors away from my parents’ house.

I also did some sewing – a very basic one – now and then. I had the interest to do it but when I was in high school or collage, taking sewing course seemed to be a bit weird and silly idea. So from time to time, I only peeped at the sewing machine showed in the showroom, wondering if I ever touch it and learn to use it.

Years after, when I’m much more on my own and make my own money (and live so far from my family), I gathered all my courage and start doing my postponed dream.I started to do crochet again several months ago, learning from my sister, internet and books. About the same time I managed to buy my first (and actually the first one in my nuclear family history) sewing machine. My parents were coming down to Singapore visiting me and I persuaded my mother to let me have the machine.Around the beginning of 2009, I started to use the machine. It’s a bit frustrating at first (even now), but I think I’ve started to understand how to use it and enjoy the process.

My very first finished project using my Singer Girl was a laptop cover for my housemate, Beatrik. I called my sewing machine “Singer Girl” – Gadis Penyanyi in bahasa Indonesia – it feels oldies and so old-fashioned. I think that’s how some of my friends see me – I’m started to have old fashioned hobbies here :P

Beatrik loves her laptop very much. Sadly the hinge was broken so she can’t close the laptop. When she saw me having a fabric cover (I hand-sewed it) she asked me if I can make her one to cover her laptop. I said if one day I have my sewing machine, I would love to do it, because hand-sewing can be very time consuming. So I fulfill my promise by making her one - finally :)

As I also started to learn embroidery, I applied some simple embroidery for the front part. I tried my best to do the lining :p and I put a bit of crochet to make it nicer (the honest reason was because I was running out of idea how to combine two fabrics :P

Please enjoy the pics, I did learn a lot from this project and I hope I can learn more and do more projects :)